NASA plans 2031 launch for ultraviolet space telescope UVEX

Universe Today reported that NASA plans to launch the UltraViolet EXplorer (UVEX) telescope in 2031.

The mission aims to close an ultraviolet astronomy gap that has persisted since the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) ended its mission in 2013, according to Universe Today. UVEX will produce the first deep-sky maps in ultraviolet wavelengths, addressing a 20-year gap from GALEX. NASA has not operated a dedicated ultraviolet space telescope since GALEX.

UVEX will be up to 100 times more sensitive than GALEX, the NASA ultraviolet space telescope that ended its mission in 2013, Universe Today reported. The increased sensitivity will allow UVEX to detect fainter ultraviolet sources and provide deeper observations than GALEX. That will improve studies of galaxy evolution and stellar physics. The telescope will conduct a near and far-ultraviolet all-sky survey, repeating observations over time, reaching depths 50 to 100 times greater than GALEX.

The survey will include cadenced observations of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, according to Universe Today. It will also feature rapid follow-up of transient events and spectroscopic studies of stars and galaxies as part of its all-sky program.

UVEX will focus on nearby low-mass galaxies, which are bright in ultraviolet light and serve as analogs for the universe’s earliest galaxies, according to Universe Today. Half of the universe’s stellar mass is in these galaxies. They help scientists study star formation. Scientists also study stellar evolution in low-metallicity environments.

The telescope will detect and study transient astronomical events, including stellar flares, explosions, tidal disruptions and gravitational wave-discovered compact object mergers, according to Universe Today. Its rapid response capability will allow it to observe these events in ultraviolet light, providing new data on their environments and emission processes.

UVEX will provide ultraviolet observations of gravitational wave events, according to Universe Today. Those observations will add a new wavelength to follow-up studies. The studies will run alongside radio and gamma-ray telescopes. That will enhance understanding of the physics of neutron star and black hole mergers.

It will reveal details invisible in other wavelengths.

UVEX will use its spectroscope. It will analyze chemical composition of distant objects by discerning their ultraviolet light wavelengths, according to Universe Today. That capability will reveal new details about stellar explosions, mergers, and other transient phenomena.

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope observes in infrared, the Vera Rubin Observatory in optical, and ESA’s Euclid Space Telescope in visible light, according to Universe Today. UVEX will complement those surveys with a multiwavelength view of the universe. These telescopes will build a comprehensive dataset for studying galaxies and stars. They will also cover cosmic phenomena across many wavelengths.

Caltech will lead the UVEX mission, Universe Today reported. Its astronomy department and Palomar Observatory will take part in the mission. Caltech’s expertise in ultraviolet astronomy and observational facilities will support UVEX’s scientific goals.

UVEX team members Kareem El-Badry and Mansi Kasliwal expect unexpected discoveries from the mission, according to Universe Today. Historically, new wavelengths have led to unanticipated findings in astronomy. El-Badry said, “Every time you look at the skies in a new wavelength, you learn something new and unexpected.”